Category Archives for South Africa

Forget grand political ideologies, what Africa needs today is true equality; true equality in which all are held accountable in the same manner. We cannot talk of democracy where misinformation is the backbone and that democracy means minority rights are persistently voted away by a majority based on a bio-social coincidence, and nothing else.Continue reading →

Genuine independence for any country means being in control of one’s destiny without an anxious dependence on other countries. Sadly, the ‘independent’ Africa today sees itself increasingly dependent on other regions for support to keep itself barely on its knees always staring at the prospect of lying flat on its belly. These are worrying times of widening social, economic and human rights disparities across the continent and between Africa and Europe. Continue reading →

If there is anything that Africa should learn from the latest xenophobic attacks in South Africa, it is that the continent has yet to command its independence and seriously address tribal prejudice and stereotypes. Governments continue to show little or no interest in respecting people and dealing with simmering internal social injustices. African independence has perpetually shown no empathy towards any black communities carrying a different social identification from those wielding authority. Historically, we have struggled with accommodating internal diversity.Continue reading →

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If there is anything to be learned by Matabeleland from the latest xenophobic attacks in South Africa, it is that Africa as a whole has failed to deal with tribal prejudice. Let us recall the 1983 Nigerian expulsions of West Africans, most of whom were Ghanaians. This is a stark reminder to all Africans of our responsibilities as human beings and how not to behave when in position of privilege. How do we safely retain our national pride without compromising the dignity of other nations?Continue reading →

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The only shocking detail of the shootings at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana was the number of victims (34 deaths and many injured within minutes) but certainly not the incident itself. The shootings and the associated deaths of police officers and protesters are symptomatic of South Africa’s deep-rooted problem of violence, in particular firearm-related murders. The shootings, while shocking, are not entirely surprising in a country where millions of guns are illegally acquired and owned. Continue reading →

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Last Thursday (16/8/2012) post-apartheid South Africa and the international community witnessed perhaps the worst state sanctioned violence against citizens when the police indiscriminately fired live ammunition on hundreds of striking mine workers at the London-listed Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana near Johannesburg. The event had the hallmark of the apartheid era; poor black miners protesting against low wages and poor living conditions. Continue reading →

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A scan across Southern Africa’s political space shows domination of former liberation organisations. These parties monopolise power and they have largely remained ideologically unchanged to meet the 21st century socio-political challenges. The internal politics of the parties is profoundly undemocratic as evidenced by the leadership structure that generally works counter to democratic aspirations of the wider population. Competition for leadership is hampered by uncanny fixation on succession policies that observe seniority in the party and at times recognised participation in the liberation struggle. Leadership is effectively closed out to young vibrant politicians. Disturbingly, these parties have an uncanny control over the military and most state security organs which inevitably ensures their stranglehold on power. Continue reading →